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Appeal of Faculty Voter or Personnel Committee Voter Status

Policy: Appeals of faculty voter or Personnel Committee voter status will be considered by the Faculty Senate. Voter eligibility is ascribed to a position, not to an individual; hence, successful appeals will be based on failure by either the Faculty Senate or the academic unit to conform to the voter definitions listed below. The decisions of the Senate will be final.

Procedure:

1. A faculty member wishing to appeal the voter status of the position he/she holds will submit written notification to the Senate Chair.

2. The Senate Chair will request that, within five working days of this appeal petition, the faculty member submit a concise (maximum two pages, double spaced, 12 pt,) written statement of the grounds on which the appeal is based. This statement must focus on how the voter criteria are met by the position and explain the perceived misapplication of the voter definition(s).

3. The Senate Chair will inform the Senate of the appeal, and will identify a Senate Meeting at which the appeal will be considered.

4. The appeal will be considered by the Senate in executive session. The Senate will consider the appeal in the context of the Senate-approved definitions of “faculty voter” and “personnel committee voter,” to wit:

a. Faculty Voter: Faculty voters are those faculty members, exclusive of per course faculty, who hold academic rank in a department at a rate of 50% or more and who do not hold an administrative appointment outside of their college.

•hold academic rank in a department at a rate of 50% or more and who do nothold an administrative appointment outside of their college,

•have at least one year of service at Texas State since the official start date ofthe faculty appointment, and

• have taught eight sections of courses at the college/university level.

Tenured faculty members who hold academic rank in a department at a rate of 50% or more and who do not hold an administrative appointment outside of their college, but lack any of the above requirements, are expected to serve on the Personnel Committee as non-voting members until they have met all criteria.

5. After a thorough discussion of the case, the Senate will vote on the appeal by secret ballot.

6. The Senate Chair will inform the appellant of the Senate’s decision within three working days of the decision.